A blog about the lives of a classical homeschooling family, in the idyllic Wet Coast, err, West Coast, of British Columbia. Oh, I know, it doesn't ALWAYS rain...it just seems like it.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Voting Day: Part II

The twins and I have been working through this book for the past couple of weeks. It's called How To Build Your Own Country. Every time we went to the Teach Supply store I'd glance through it, then think "Nyah, I don't need to spend $18 when I can get them to read the newspaper and stuff."

Then one day I thought "Who am I kidding? Even I don't read some of that political drivel. Boooooring." So I bought the book.

And I'm glad that I did. It's been a very fun few weeks and we're still only half-way through. It's simple without being simplistic, and it directs you through the essentials: How To Stake Out Your Identity (name your country! find a population! design a flag! choose a motto!); Run The Country ( hold elections! write a constitution! make laws! Make money!); and finally, Meet The Neighbours (who's who? keep the peace!).

To begin with, we chose names for our new countries (you can't enter FDPG's room anymore without a Greenistan passport or a visitor visa). We made passports for them, using our own Canadian passports as a rough guide. Inside each passport we have a print-out of the national anthem, which some of us sang every day for the next week. We also had conventional passport information, where we learned that FDPG was born in Gallifrey (just like a certain Doctor) and that Dominic was in reality over 200 years old. We created a national flag. We also went to a babelfish site and turned English mottos into Latin. We even went here and made coats of arms (you can also go to this site and do much the same thing, but with less explanation). Fun fun fun.

Then today, because it's Election Day in our part of the world, we held a Mock Election. FDPG and Dominic were each allowed two candidates, of their own choosing, and they had to present a platform to Max and myself, after which we chose the least silly Webkin voted for our favourite. It ended, let's not hope presciently, in a coalition.

Here are some of their election promises:

I will plant more trees in places that are in need of trees!

I will improve everything that needs improving!

There will be no more horrible feedlots!

I will ban bad pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides!

If there's anything I've forgotten, call me!

Vote for me - it will be a happy land with gold bars, chocolate cakes, burgers and milk shakes!

It will be a land the world will never ever forget!

Grassland will turn out to be the nicest place on EARTH! No stinging nettles! (huh?)

Now we're off to the polls to vote. The twins like this bit because the polling station volunteers are always nice retired people who like to see kids at the polls, so they hand out cookies and stickers and stuff, and are generally very welcoming.

Check out this video for more information on the book. And may the best candidate win...

3 comments:

Evan really enjoyed that book too. He made his own country called Evanarea with its own currency and flag. Unfortunately I think he only managed to find five other people willing to become citizens of his new country (mostly because he was seeming a bit dictatorish) and then we had to leave it all behind when we moved.